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B. M. WATKIN. MACHINE FOR MAKING' TWINE PROM STRAW.

No. 438,745. Patented 001;. 21.1890.

THE News PETERS co., Moro-umn., wnsmuuron, n. c.

(No Modelf) 2 'sheetsfspee 2.

ByM. WATKIN. MACHINE FOR MAKING TWINEjFROM STRAW.

' No. 438,745. patentado@ 21. 1390.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN M. WATKIN, OF GOODVIEW, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOGOODLOPE WRIGHT, OF SAME PLACE.

MACHINE FOR MAKING TWINE FROM STRAW.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 438,745, dated October21, 1890.

Application led February 27, 1890. Serial No. 341,966. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may con/cern,.-

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN M. WATKIN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Goodview, in the county of Randolph and State of Indiana,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Making Twinefrom Straw, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved machine for making twine wholly orpartly from straw or like material.

The object of my improvement is to combine in one machine means forremoving the outer silicious covering of the straw, means for removingprojecting or adhering straws or filaments from the loosely-twistedtwine, means for twisting the straw filaments into twine, and means forautomatically reeling the twine, all as hereinafter fully described.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention.

Figure l represents a plan of a machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2represents a side elevation of the left-hand portion of the same. Fig. 3represents an end elevation, the parts in the background being omitted.Fig. 4 represents a sectional elevation at the line a of Fig. 1, lookingtoward the left.

A is an inclined table or hopper, from which the straw is fed by hand tothe machine.

B and C are a pair of horizontal rolls of like diameter, arranged oneabove the other and having their surfaces nearly in contact. The upperroll B is driven by means of a shaft D, connected with the main shaft Eby shaft I and bevel gear-wheels b b and 11 12 and a pair of bevel-gears1 2. At the opposite end of the rolls from gears 1 and 2 the rolls areconnected by spur-gears 3 and 4, the arrangement being such that thelower roll moves at about one-third the speed of the upper roll.

F and G are two frames alike in structure, mounted on ways in the mainframe N, so as to slide longitudinally thereon, and each carries onbearings formed in suitable standards a spur gear-wheel 5, which is alsomounted on shaft D, so as to slide longitudinally thereon and turntherewith, by means of a groove and spline 8O or other well-knownconnection, and a pair of spur gear-wheels 7 and 8, which intermesh withgear-wheels 5, but do not intermesh with each other.

Secured to or formed integral with gearwheels 7 and 8, and concentrictherewith, are a pair of smooth-surfaced wheels 9 and 10. About one-halfof the periphery of each of the wheels 9 and 10 is of larger .radiusthan the remainder of the wheel, and the arrangement is such that as thewheels revolve their larger peripheries are opposed to each other andmove in opposite directions with a narrow space between them, thepurpose being to roll the straws 46 passing between them transverselyduring a part of each revolution of the wheels.

Frames F and G are coupled together by a connecting-rod H, so as toslide in unison along the main frame.

Frames F and G are given a limited reciprocating movement along the mainframe by means of a shaft I, carrying a crank-plate J, which isconnected with frame G by a pitman K. A pair of bevel-gears 11 12connect shaft I with the main shaft E, and the arrangement is such thatthe frames move away from the rolls B C when the straws 46 are engagedby the larger peripheries of the wheels 9 and 1'0 and move toward therolls when the wheels have released the straws.

Arranged between the frames F and G is a hollow conical knife L, whichis mounted on a base M, adapted to slide longitudinally along the mainframe N, the arrangement being such that the straws 46 passing betweenthe wheels 9 10 on the frame F and between the wheels 9 10 on the frameG will also pass centrally through the hollow knife L. The base on whichthe knife L is mounted is connected with the sliding frame G by means ofa connecting-rod O and a lever P, which latter is pivoted at R to themain frame, and is loosely connected at one end to frame G and at theother end pivotally to the connectingrod O, the arrangement being suchthat when the frames F G move in one direction the knife L moves in theopposite direction.

S is a hollow cylindrical shaft having a radial flange T, and providedon opposite sides of said iiange with perforations fu, and o. Flange Tis perforated transversely to allow IOC the twine 4G to pass fromperforation u to perforation r. Shaft S forms a twisting-head fortwisting the twine t, and it is connected with the main shaft E, so asto be rapidly rotated thereby by means of spur-wheels 13,14, and 15.

WV is a reel mounted horizontally in bearings on the main frame at w.

Reel XV is connected with the main shaft, so as to be rotated thereby ata variable speed, by means of the following mechanism: 16 is aspur-wheel secured to the reel-shaft. 17 is a spur-wheel secured toshaft 1S and intermeshing with wheel16. Shaft 1S is mounted in bearingson the main frame, and is provided at its outer end with a spur-wheel 19and a bevel gear-wheel 20. lVheel 19 interineshes with a spur gear-wheel21, secured to a shaft 22, which is provided with a conical or taperingdrum 23. Drum 23 is connected by a belt 24 with a like drum 25, taperedreversely and mounted on a shaft 2G. Shaft 2G is provided at its outerend with a bevel gearwheel 27, which is connected with the main shaft Eby shaft 28 and bevel gear-wheels 29, 30, and 31. 32 is a screw-threadedshaft carrying a screw-threaded guide 33, which embraces the oppositeedges of the belt 24. Shaft 32 is mounted at one end in a bearing on themain frame and at the other end in a bearing 34, mounted on shaft 2S.Secured to shaft 32 is a spur gear-wheel 35, which intermeshes with spurgear-wheel 2l 011 shaft 22.

The arrangement of the parts is such that when they are in the positionshown in Fig. 1, wheel 29 intel-meshing with wheel 27, the belt 24 isgradually moved by means of the screw-shaft 32 and guide 33 from theinner to the outer ends of drums 23 and 25, thus decreasing the speed ofthe reel as the quantity of twine thereon is increased. For the purposeof returning the belt to the position shown in Fig. 1 shaft 28 is movedlongitudinally, so as to disconnect wheels 29 and 27 and bring a bevelgear-wheel 36, secured to the shaft, into engagement with bevelgearwheel 20, and at the same time disconnect spur-wheel 35 from 21 andbring wheel 35 into engagement with wheel 19. By this movement thedirection of rotation of screw-shaft 32 is reversed and guide 33 isforced to move in the opposite direction. The loose end of the formingtwine is held in the hand of the operator while the ball of twine isremoved J from the reel and while the reverse movement is taking place.

For the purpose of guiding the twine and distributing it evenly alongthe reel I mount opposite the reel a traveler 37 on a stationaryguide-rod 3S. The traveler 37 is caused to move slowly back and forthalong the rod 38 by means of a pitman 39, connected to a crankwheel 45on a shaft 40, bevel gear-wheels 41 42, one on the shaft 40, the otheron the shaft 43, and a spur-wheel 44 on said shaft 43, intermeshing witha gear-wheel 17 on the shaft 18.

In operation a pieceof twine 46 already made is passed between rolls Band C, then between the wheels 9 and 10 of frame F, then through knifeL, then between the wheels 9 and 10 of frame G, then into one end ofhollow shaft S, then through perforations u and o, then out of the otherend of the shaft, thence to traveler 37, and from there on to the reel WA few straws, preferably oat-straws, are now secured to the twine andthe machine is started. The straws in passing between rolls B and C arecrushed and the outer silicious coating is broken up and dislodged bythe rubbing action of the rolls, due to their dili'ering speed. As thewheels 9 and 10 of frames F and Gr revolve and their larger diametersbecome opposed to each other, the straws are grasped at two points witha 4rolling movement on opposite sides of the knife L, and as the framesF and G move at the same time longitudinally along the main frame in thesame direction that the straws are moving, while the knife L moves in anopposite direction, all loose ends and joints of the straws whichproject radially from the forming twine are trimmed of by thesurrounding cylindrical knife. Vhen the frames F and Gare returning totheir firstpositions, the smaller diameters of the wheels 9 and l0 areopposed, and they do not engage the straws. The twisting of the strawsinto twine is effected after they pass the rolls by the conjoint actionof the iiier S and the wheels 9 and 10, and the twine is automaticallywenn d upon the reel, as before described, the twist which is given tothe twine by the flier S between itself and the reel W beingsupplemented and continued in the proper direction to a point adjacentto the rolls B C by the action of wheels 9 and 10.

In case the straw is very tender it is found well to mix a smallquantity of tow or other like iiber with it; but this does not affectthe action of the machine.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a twine-machine, the combination, withtwisting mechanism, of a pair of rolls having their peripheral surfacesslightly separated and intermediate connecting mechanism, whereby whenone roll is rotated the other roll is rotated at a different speed,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a twine-machine, the combination of two pairs of smooth-facedwheels, the wheels of eachvpair being mounted in asuitablesupporting-frame and connected by an intermediate wheel, so as torevolve in opposite directions transversely to the axial line of thetwine, each of said wheels having a portion of its periphery of largerradius than the rcmainder, whereby the material to be formed into twineis seized at intervals at two points along its length between the wheelswith a rolling movement, as set forth.

3. In a twine-machine, the combination of two pairs of smooth-facedwheels, the wheels of each pair being mounted ina suitablesupporting-frame and connected by an intermediate wheel, so as torevolve in opposite di- IIO IZO

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rections transversely to the axial line of the twine, each of saidwheels having a portion of its periphery of larger radius than theremainder, whereby the material to be formed into twine is seized atintervals at two points along its length between the wheels with arolling movement, and a conical knife arrangedbetween saidsupporting-frames and in the path of the forming twine, and means formoving the knife longitudinally of the twine and relatively to thesupporting frames, whereby `the material is drawn through the knife,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a twine-machine, the combination of the reel, shaft 18, havinggears 19 and 20 secured thereto, and intermediate connecting mechanismconnecting the shaft and the reel,

varrying speed and the belt is moved along 3o the drums from end to endin opposite directions, as set forth.

BENJAMIN M. WATKIN. Witnesses:

H. P. HOOD, V. M. Hoon.

